So..... back to the manga, I know this was way back, but I was just thinking about how the story would continue if Haruto chose Asuka instead of Yuzuki.... I hated what Haruto did and how he did it, it really pissed me off how he just left Asuka in a ditch like that, even though it was the right thing to do..... Would Asuka and Haruto still be together after 4 years, just like Haruto and Eba? or would they end up breaking up? I really wished there would've been a HarutoxKanzaki relationship, but you know, Yuzuki just had to appear. But I guess then Haruto would'nt have met Kazama or Asuka But anyways, I just wanted to get your thoughts on what was your favorite relationship in the manga, and which would you have liked to see the most/least. Presonally, I wanted HarutoxKanzaki, HarutoxAkari and HarutoxRin lol :P

Duuuuude, please use a spoiler for that. I read it, but some may have not.

Spoiler Alert! Click to show or hide

I really hated how that part was written too. It was probably around there that I started to dislike the manga. I still don't really care for Yuzuki's character. I think that Haruto x Asuka may have been my favorite pairing. I feel like the way he could have gotten back together with Yuzuki could have been done a lot better.

If that part ends up in the anime, which it may, it's gonna piss me off again. lol.

I will echo the spoiler part.... Please go back and put in the spoiler tags!!!!

Spoiler Alert! Click to show or hide

I actually liked the way he wrote Haruto getting back together with Yuzuki, because it came across as realistic. It was obvious from her behavior after they were re-united at the mixer (things the way she acted at the amusement park, the fact that she would come and just hang out reading magazines at the convenience store) that Yuzuki still had feelings for him. Hell, it was obvious during the Kazuma arc that she still had feelings for him. Kazuma even told him that the times she smiled most was when she was talking about Haruto! Yuzuki wanting to tell him how she felt, but also wanting to break off contact with him so she didn't ruin his relationship with Asuka is exactly in her character. She hated herself for the way she treated Haruto before and, quite logically I think, expected that he really didn't love her anymore. He thought that he was over her, but the way he acted on the trip to the amusement park spoke louder than his protestations of not feeling love for her. When I read that chapter I thought he really did totally forget about Asuka for the majority of the day. When he realized how he truly felt, he also felt like a huge sack of shit. I don't know about you guys, but I was there once, and I totally understood how he felt. If you have never fallen in love with someone when you were already in a relationship, you may not understand. In my case, I had been dissatisfied for quite a while with the relationship that I had been in, and when I met someone new that I totally clicked with, I was young and stupid enough to not think, "Wait... You can't do this yet!" However, Haruto was not as bad as I was in my youth in one way, but worse in another. He was worse because he relationship with Asuka was actually going fine, with the exception of his feelings for Yuzuki, which he was denying up to that point. He was better because he really only hugged Yuzuki and didn't go any farther. No hours long make-out sessions or anything like that. Of course, Haruto wasn't really up for doing that type of thing with a girl he was committed to until recent chapters anyway...

I downloaded it and it seems like its starting in the middle of a chapter in the middle of an arc... He's chasing after a girl in a city, and moves into his sisters how... other than that I'm confused. I thought i had downloaded the OVA or something. lol

Not a very smart move on the directors part. At least start at the beginning of the arc.

Tried watching it again, it's more annoying that the manga. xD The sister's voice was like nails on a chalk board, though Haruto didn't seem like quite as much of an ass as he did in the manga. Maybe I'll go read the thing again, and then try the anime... maybe.

It starts at the beginning of the Tokyo Arc, which was announced in the manga in the past couple of chapters. One of them mentioned a drama CD that would get people "up to speed" with the story. I wrote a two part summary of the first 79 chapters for anybody that wants to know what happened, but they look like they're going back to do a flashback episode next week.

Her voice was so perfect! I laughed so hard when I heard it! It was so amazingly spot on to what I pictured in my head!

Also - I am really looking forward to this. I am so curious how far they are gonna go in the manga. I said it before, but I just hope they don't rush things.

IKR!

It occurred to me after I posted that message that the other poster might have been referring to Haruto's sister Aoi. (I rewatched the episode) Her voice is very annoying, but, once again, I thought she matched the character perfectly. Just the right amount of tease in her tone at all times.

Finally found a site where it was subbed......The First episode blew chunks...

All the chars have big heads, people barley moved at all, the chars look vastly diffirent from the manga, stale jokes, and alot of just....yawn..

I have been waiting for this anime for everrr and they throw us this...I am disapointed...Rin looks like crap, Haruto looks like they tried to make him look like the manga version but gave up half way...KAzuma looks bad also.

Moments with asuka were cute not going to lie but I wonder how new anime watchers are taking this show

Just watched that first episode and I must say I was disappointed with it starting in the middle of an arc - I've been reading this manga since very early on - and while I had some hopes about it, I don't feel a desire to continue. I can't imagine introducing somebody to this series via the anime because there is nothing here that would make me care about the characters - all that background the manga offers is lost.

It is not the middle of an arc, but the beginning of the Tokyo Arc. In the manga it even says that they are starting a new arc with the Tokyo arc...

In the preview, it looks like they are going to do a flashback to cover the early manga next episode, but probably not in great detail. (The OVA that came out earlier covers a the Tokyo Class Trip arc, with flash backs to explain how they got there.)

I should have phrased it differently - it's so jarring for it to start at an arc like this - that I can't imagine starting this as an anime (instead of manga) and enjoying it. It's in the "middle" of something, even if it starts at Tokyo - in some ways, I feel his choice (after the letter) to move to Tokyo was truly the beginning of the arc in the manga, not his arrival itself - Not to mention the letter itself wasn't even mentioned in the anime episode.

So either way, awkward.

And the character designs were pretty awful - I'm not a fan of the anime product.

I don't know what everyone is complaining about, the character designs looked perfect to me. WAYYYY better than the OVA's.

I never said the character design looked bad I like it. However they lack emotion... The VA's did a good job but just the faces... I get a "apathetic" feel from them aside from blushing. It really bugs me.

Nope, another work from the same author although some characters do make cameos in the manga. (not sure for anime although I don't think that will be relevant anyways)

That makes sense, this is like version 2.0 of the first episode of Suzuka. Even all the characters are the same.

Except for the one that's new and the other that was omitted, obviously.

Even the location of their apartments are the same except they put in an elevator since 2004.

Edit: Not necessarily a negative, it all just seemed almost ridiculously similar.

No, not at all. The character of Haruto is almost the diametric opposite of Yamato, Kazuma is absolutely nothing like (perverted best friend character in Suzuka whose name I could care less about), Asuza is nothing like Suzuka, and neither is Yazuki.

The only similarity is that he is living in the same "all women's" dormitory, though at this point that definition is being stretched, since they are letting Aoi have her brother live with her and Yamato is living with Suzuka

Spoiler Alert! Click to show or hide

(and their daughter)

next door. (Azusa is the neighbor on the other side.)

The reason for going to Tokyo is also entirely different. Even is you are unfamiliar with the manga, the fact that he was hanging around trying to talk with Yuzuki, who was was mentioned in the opening when she was riding on his bike, should give you the idea that he is not just moving to Tokyo to "change his life" as Yamato was.

There is really not that much similarity between the stories, particularly in that the characters in KnIM are much more detailed and realistic, as are the relationships. Sometimes they are realistic to the point of being painful! Remember, in real life, the vast majority of teenage romances end in a giant puddle of pain on the floor of your room as you try to pick up the pieces and move past it. KnIM doesn't shy away from showing that type of relationship dynamic. Not at all!

There will almost always be similarities in a story written by the same author. They have their favorite plot points that they like to use and their favorite styles of telling particular types of stories, but that doesn't mean that it is the same story over again. (See Please Teacher and Waiting in the Summer/Ano Natsu de Matteru for a good example of the same author using many of the same elements to tell an entirely different story with a totally different feel to it in terms of tone and in terms of the behavior and attitudes of the characters.)

I don't know what everyone is complaining about, the character designs looked perfect to me. WAYYYY better than the OVA's.

I never said the character design looked bad I like it. However they lack emotion... The VA's did a good job but just the faces... I get a "apathetic" feel from them aside from blushing. It really bugs me.

I don't know. I feel like they are supposed to be presenting a depressing feeling first because technically it is supposed to be "sad" during this arc. It might just be me, but I feel as they should be like this for the most part. At least for the beginning.

No, not at all. The character of Haruto is almost the diametric opposite of Yamato, Kazuma is absolutely nothing like (perverted best friend character in Suzuka whose name I could care less about), Asuza is nothing like Suzuka, and neither is Yazuki.

The only similarity is that he is living in the same "all women's" dormitory, though at this point that definition is being stretched, since they are letting Aoi have her brother live with her and Yamato is living with Suzuka

Spoiler Alert! Click to show or hide

(and their daughter)

next door. (Azusa is the neighbor on the other side.)

The reason for going to Tokyo is also entirely different. Even is you are unfamiliar with the manga, the fact that he was hanging around trying to talk with Yuzuki, who was was mentioned in the opening when she was riding on his bike, should give you the idea that he is not just moving to Tokyo to "change his life" as Yamato was.

There is really not that much similarity between the stories, particularly in that the characters in KnIM are much more detailed and realistic, as are the relationships. Sometimes they are realistic to the point of being painful! Remember, in real life, the vast majority of teenage romances end in a giant puddle of pain on the floor of your room as you try to pick up the pieces and move past it. KnIM doesn't shy away from showing that type of relationship dynamic. Not at all!

There will almost always be similarities in a story written by the same author. They have their favorite plot points that they like to use and their favorite styles of telling particular types of stories, but that doesn't mean that it is the same story over again. (See Please Teacher and Waiting in the Summer/Ano Natsu de Matteru for a good example of the same author using many of the same elements to tell an entirely different story with a totally different feel to it in terms of tone and in terms of the behavior and attitudes of the characters.)

I'm tempted to disagree with you rather strongly, but it's probably due to mutually incompatible biases; not knowing more about either story draws my attention to their (conspicuous) similarities, while your attention is drawn to their differences.

In any case I'm now content that it's not a blatant ripoff and I will continue watching.

I don't know what everyone is complaining about, the character designs looked perfect to me. WAYYYY better than the OVA's.

I never said the character design looked bad I like it. However they lack emotion... The VA's did a good job but just the faces... I get a "apathetic" feel from them aside from blushing. It really bugs me.

I don't know. I feel like they are supposed to be presenting a depressing feeling first because technically it is supposed to be "sad" during this arc. It might just be me, but I feel as they should be like this for the most part. At least for the beginning.

No, not at all. The character of Haruto is almost the diametric opposite of Yamato, Kazuma is absolutely nothing like (perverted best friend character in Suzuka whose name I could care less about), Asuza is nothing like Suzuka, and neither is Yazuki.

The only similarity is that he is living in the same "all women's" dormitory, though at this point that definition is being stretched, since they are letting Aoi have her brother live with her and Yamato is living with Suzuka

Spoiler Alert! Click to show or hide

(and their daughter)

next door. (Azusa is the neighbor on the other side.)

The reason for going to Tokyo is also entirely different. Even is you are unfamiliar with the manga, the fact that he was hanging around trying to talk with Yuzuki, who was was mentioned in the opening when she was riding on his bike, should give you the idea that he is not just moving to Tokyo to "change his life" as Yamato was.

There is really not that much similarity between the stories, particularly in that the characters in KnIM are much more detailed and realistic, as are the relationships. Sometimes they are realistic to the point of being painful! Remember, in real life, the vast majority of teenage romances end in a giant puddle of pain on the floor of your room as you try to pick up the pieces and move past it. KnIM doesn't shy away from showing that type of relationship dynamic. Not at all!

There will almost always be similarities in a story written by the same author. They have their favorite plot points that they like to use and their favorite styles of telling particular types of stories, but that doesn't mean that it is the same story over again. (See Please Teacher and Waiting in the Summer/Ano Natsu de Matteru for a good example of the same author using many of the same elements to tell an entirely different story with a totally different feel to it in terms of tone and in terms of the behavior and attitudes of the characters.)

I'm tempted to disagree with you rather strongly, but it's probably due to mutually incompatible biases; not knowing more about either story draws my attention to their (conspicuous) similarities, while your attention is drawn to their differences.

In any case I'm now content that it's not a blatant ripoff and I will continue watching.

It's hard to call something that was written by the same person a rip off... It is kind of like a sequel, with better writing, because people do get better with practice. To give you an example of how the characters differ:

Spoiler Alert! Click to show or hide

Yamato can be best characterized as being a slacker. He is carefree, careless, generally irresponsible, and a poor student to the point that he never would have been accepted into college without a track scholarship. Haruto is not very athletic at all, the best student in his class with the possible exception of Yuzuki when she is in the same class, extremely reliable, and has sense of responsibility so strong that it becomes a vice instead of a virtue. The one thing they do have in common is that they are good cooks, but Yamato is a "good cook" in that he knows how to make a limited array of things, while Haruto is a really great cook, who is always looking for new recipes and to improve his cooking skill. He is unsure if he really wants to be a chef as a career, but most people think he should because he is so good at it.